Little Princess
by imthepunchlord
Summary: Marinette did the unthinkable. She took the bullet for Chat. And now she's stuck in his care and poor Adrien doesn't quite fully know what to do with a kid.
1. Chapter 1

**So, seeing a few fics where Adrien gets turned into a kid and Mari usually winds up taking care of him, I decided to write one where she gets turned into a kid, and Adrien taking care of her.**

 **Be prepared for cuteness and fluff and some giggles.**

 **I don't plan for this to be too long a fic, and I'll update it when I can.**

 **FANART**

 **Kanzen-Akai-Doll on deviantart**

 **art/Little-Marinette-660175907**

* * *

This was all wrong.

Chat should've had control over the situation, Ladybug should've come, and Marinette shouldn't have been there. She should have been long gone, following everyone else when the child akuma appeared. She shouldn't have been there.

But she was.

And Ladybug hadn't come yet.

And he was not in control like he should have been.

When that kid, Terrible Two, caught him unprepared and fired a ray at him with his stick, Chat was expecting another day of Ladybug handling this on her own (how much help could a little two year old be in a fight?). He could only hope that she may find him to be adorable. And maybe take care of him, it was an appealing idea being held and coddled by his lady. But for sure, she'd fix everything quickly, turn him to his right age and size.

He wasn't too worried when he saw the ray coming.

There were worse things than being turned into a toddler.

But nothing scared him so much than feeling a smaller, softer body ram into his, shoving him back, and taking the hit before they completely toppled over.

When they hit the ground, he knew that she was much lighter than she should be. And the body on him was so much smaller than it should be.

It clicked then.

Oh God Marientte got hit.

Marinette got hit.

Immediately sitting up to assess the damage, he found a very, very little Marinette laid over his chest, sliding down the smooth leather with his movement and settling in his lap. She blinked dazedly at his dark suit, like she was still processing what happened. Or why Chat was suddenly so much bigger. Why the world was so much bigger. And what exactly happened? Why was Chat panicking above her?

That's right.

Marinette got hit.

"Marinette!" he exclaimed worried, gently lifting her up a little, mindful of his claws. She was so small in his hands, and so soft, and he was freaking out because it felt like just a single squeeze and she'd break and oh god she got hit.

Her teal eyes zeroed on him, blinking in shared bafflement. She actually didn't look too upset. More surprised if anything. Like she didn't expect this. Like she expected that she wasn't going to get hit saving Chat like that. That they'd both make it out ok.

She didn't even feel it when it hit.

But it did.

It was clear with his larger hands holding her up like a doll, his grip shaking slightly from where he held her under her arms. Licking her lips at the situation, she squeaked, "Oops."

Gaping at her, Chat echoed, "Oops?"

The situation was really starting to click in his head. Oops. Marinette took the bullet for him. Oops. Marinette was a child in his claws. Oops. She, a civilian, pushed him out of the way and was turned into a little kid instead. And all she had to say was "Oops".

"Oops?!" Chat snapped, his wrists jerked to shake her, only to stop in fear of hurting her. But that didn't stop the scolding that came ripping out of him. "Marinrtte! What were you thinking?!" he cried, "You do not take blows for heroes!"

"Sowwy," she uttered, looking guiltily down, biting her lip with a big pout. As a civilian she really shouldn't have. And it's not like Chat was in any real danger by being turned into a toddler. He could get away, and she could have arrived as Ladybug and fix this all in a few minutes. But no, she had to be a worried idiot, take the blast for him and now this.

Though he did do the same thing for her. Countless times.

Why couldn't she return the favor?

She had a right to jump in and protect him too!

Did she even need to start listing how many scares he gave her every time he took a bullet for her?!

Suddenly angry that he was scolding her for something he did all the time, she snapped at him, her eyes watering in frustrated tears. "You do it all the time!" she cried, jerking in his hold, waving her little fists. If she wasn't sitting in his lap she would have stamped her foot. "You stupid cat!" He had no right to dish this out on her!

"I'm a hero!" he reminds her, "It's my job! And I can take those hits!" And thanks to Ladybug's Lucky Charm, it always worked out in the end.

"You died once!" Marinette cried furiously. The Timebreaker fight. She still remembered it so visibly. The warmth of his body wrapped around her, feeling stiff in her arms, the feeling of the warmth gradually fading into nothing but a warm patch of air.

It was better now, he was here, she managed to save him.

But it still made her want to cry.

Because that was scary, and her blood felt so cold in her body at the realization that he took the hit, he was disappearing, and it was all her fault and...

Chat cringed as he watched her face wrinkle up, big, heavy tears starting to pool up. Instantly he brought her closer, cuddling her up in his chest as he shushed her, one claw nervously running through her hair. "It's ok," he shushed, "I'm ok, we're ok. It's ok. Please don't cry, I don't know what to do if kids cry." What did his mom do when he was upset?

Kissed his tears away.

He had a feeling Marinette wouldn't appreciate that.

Wait.

Looking down at the sniffing girl curled up in his chest, wiping her frustrated tears away, he asked, "How did you know that?"

Marinette blinked at him.

Chat frowned down at her.

Not even he entirely remembered dying. It was a ghosting memory in his mind, one he sometimes doubted even happened. Only Ladybug confirmed it's happening, only Ladybug remembered the day he "died".

How does Marientte know?

Blinking her teal eyes, she looked up at him, her freckles more defined and darker on her nose. Her eyes widened at her slip up. "Um," she squeaked.

Before she could continue, Terrible Two found them.

"HAA!" Terrible Two cried, shooting another beam at him.

Pressing Marinette close, Chat leapt into the air, escaping the beam. They landed a little ways and Marinette gasped when she caught sight of her little purse.

Tikki!

Tikki was still there!

She should still be able to transform, able to fix this!

She just needed to get to her bag!

With a great wiggle and a burst of strength, she jumped out of Chat's arms and raced towards her bag, ignoring Chat's scared shouts behind her.

She was cut off by the akuma, smirking down at her. "Whose bigger now!" the boy sneered, holding up his stick dangerously.

Before either could move, Marinette grunted as she was roughly grabbed from behind and spirited away, her cheek pressed against a warm leather suit once more. "No!" she cried, leaning out, seeing her purse left on the ground. She could just see Tikki staring out, her own blue eyes wide. But Chat wasn't letting her escape this time. He raced to the door, slamming it closed to deter the akuma and raced to the courtyard, where students and teachers were gathering up the handful of toddlers.

"Chat!" Marinette cried, smacking his arm.

They needed to go back!

She needed to become Ladybug!

But the hero wasn't listening. Setting her down in a rush, making her fall on her rear; he shot her a stern glare as he ordered, "Stay!" Then he turned, racing back to deal with the akuma, wondering where his lady was.

"Chat!" Marientte cried, moving to get up and chase after him. He whipped around, pointing a stern finger that froze her on the spot. "Stay there!" he repeated in a tone that meant business, "You're grounded missy!"And disappeared into the building.

Marinette gaped after him. Did he just...

Growling, she stomped her foot, shouting, "Nooooooo!"

He was not the boss of her!

She was going to get in there, grab her kwami, become Ladybug, and whoop his ass for this!

But before she could chase after him, Mme Bustier grabbed her wrist and dragged her closer to the group of toddlers. "Oh no young lady," she scolded as Marinette gaped up at her, "you're staying here where it's safe."

Damn that stupid cat.

* * *

Breaking the stick that held the akuma, and trapping the mischievous butterfly in a jar from one of the science labs, Chat was concerned when his lady still didn't show. Or answer his call when he tried to reach her. Where was she?

There's an akuma to purify and kids to fix!

His mind started to fly with possibilities. Did she get turned into a kid and couldn't reach him? Was she in trouble? Was she simply held up? Maybe he should hang around for a little while, see if she drops by.

And of course brag about his success.

A rare victory without Ladybug!

He'd be enjoying this more if he knew she was on the way. And was ok.

But he had no way of knowing, leaving him hanging on what to do.

First things first, he reasoned, he had to take care of the little butterfly. Walking back to the classroom and grabbing his bag, he slipped it in before slipping his bag on. Now to wait for his lady.

Taking the confused kid's hand and leading him out, Chat froze at what he saw.

Marinette was still there.

All the other toddlers were gone, but she was still there, pouting as Mme Bustier held her in place, going through her phone with a frown.

Unease bubbled in Chat's chest.

Why was Marinette still here?

Mme Bustier beamed when she caught sight of him. "Chat Noir!" she called, "Is the akuma taken care of?"

"It is!" he reassured, nodding to the kid, "Though Ladybug hasn't arrived yet to fix the damage." He looked over at Marinette when she gave an angry huff. The glare she sent him seemed to silently scold, It's your fault. He continued easily, "But I'm sure she'll fix it soon."

"Good," Mme Bustier sighed. They both started when Marinette tried to rip away from the teacher's grasp.

Pointing to her, he asked, "Why is she still here?"

"Her parents aren't picking up," Mme Bustier sighed, dropping her hold on Marinette. Chat caught her when she made a dash towards the school, ignoring her frustrated huffs as he struggled to hold her still. Children can sure be hard to hold when they don't want to be.

"I'll get her home," he reassured the teacher, his smile growing at her relief.

"Chat!" Marinette cried, lightly smacking his arm, trying to get loose.

"Thank you Chat Noir," Mme Bustier sighed, reaching for the quiet kid that was once Terrible Two. "Come on, let's get you home." The kid went with her, looking at her with big eyes.

Leaving Chat alone with the wiggling Marinette.

Readjusting his grip on Marinette till he could see her face, he flashed her a broad smile. "Ready to head home?"

She pouted at him darkly. Blinking, he asked, "What's wrong Princess?"

"My stuff!" she stressed, pointing to the school. "I want my stuff!"

Oh. He didn't know she cared that much. He promised with a big smile, "You'll get it later. Everyone will as soon as Ladybug fixes everything."

"Chat!" she groaned, "Wadybug-" She slapped her hand over her mouth, staring up at him with wide eyes. He raised a brow down at her, waiting. "Nothing," she settled.

Ok...

"I still want my stuff!"

He sighed. "How much stuff did you carry with you today?" He supposed it wouldn't hurt. He didn't remember her carrying too much beside her usual things.

"Just my purse," she reassured, wiggling in his arms again to get out so she could run inside and grab it. Chat let her down, trailing after her as she raced away. Scrambling around, Marinette quickly found her purse where she left it, glad that it was taken. "Tikki?" she whispered urgently, cracking it open. The little red kwami peeked out, smiling in relief to see her chosen.

"Thank goodness your ok," Tikki sighed.

Marinette cracked a wary smile. Just was about to ask Tikki to transform her, only for the kwami to hurriedly duck back inside. She jumped when she heard Chat ask from behind, "Did you find it?"

"Yes!" she cried, jumping up and showing him the purse. Stepping back when he was closer than she realized.

"Excellent!" Chat purred, scooping the girl up once more. "Now let's get you home!" And then find Ladybug so she could purify the akuma, and turn everyone back to normal.

And this could all be over with.

* * *

There was one issue Marinette completely forgot about.

"Hello dear customers! We're sorry to say that Dupain-Cheng Patisserie is closed for the week. We'll be open again this Monday. See you then!"

"You're parents aren't home?" Chat asked warily.

Marinette considered lying. That they had gone shopping, that they'd be back soon and it was totally ok for her to be left home alone. But as he sniffed loudly, and peeked into the bakery that looked like it hasn't been used for a few days now; she figured he knew.

"Where are they?" he pressed.

"Vacationing," Marinette answered, wrinkling her nose in slight frustration. "Annaversary."

He frowned, looking down at the child in his arms.

She shared it.

"I can't leave a child alone," he states.

She huffs at that.

"Is there anyone else I can take you too?" he asked.

"Nope."

"There has to be someone," he pressed.

She shook her head, humming no. She had family outside Paris, both in China and in the States. Alya's mom would have her hands full with Alya being little again, Nino's parents didn't know her; and she really couldn't think of anyone that they could go too. Maybe Manon's mom? No, she's a really busy woman. "There's nobody," she insisted, squirming to get out of his arms. "I'll be fine! I know what I'm doing!"

Besides, he couldn't learn she was Ladybug.

He go, she could transform and fix this.

"I'm not leaving you alone!" he said.

She shot him a look. Why did she have to have such a stubborn kitty?!

"I'll be fine!" she insisted, finally free of his arms. The purse swung dangerously at her side, the strap far too long for her small body. Putting her hands on her hips and puffing her chest out, she jerked her chin to Chat, peering up at him. "I got this," she promised, looking as serious as she could in this smaller body.

Chat just found it to be too adorable.

Offering her a mischievous smile, he waved to the door. "Alright, go inside then."

Beaming, she confidently reached for the door.

Only to find she was a few inches too short to reach the handle. Much less the key hole. Frowning, she turned to Chat, glaring when he simply smiled, humor glowing in his green eyes. Fishing out her key, she held it up to him. "Open door please," she instructed.

"So you can stay home alone?"

"Duh."

"I don't know Princess," he hums, gazing at the bakery doors. "If you can't open a simple door by yourself..."

"Chat," she growled.

"I don't know if you should really be left alone."

Marinette stamped foot, growling.

He simply smiled at her frustration. "Come on Princess," he bid, "is there anybody I can take you too?"

"No!"

His smile dropped. Well, this certainly put a damper on his plans to find Ladybug. If only he could find someone who could watch Marinette for a possible few hours while he sought out his lady.

But he couldn't leave her with just anyone, and preferably with someone she knew.

And unhelpfully, Plagg decided that he had enough as his ring beeped aloud.

Great.

"I'll be fine!" Marinette repeated, having his heard his ring as well.

He sighed, repeating, "I'm not leaving you alone." Looking around, he saw a near park. Pointing to it, he instructed, "Stay there, I'll be close. I'll either find someone to care for you or come back for you."

She shot him another look.

"I'll be close," he repeated.

"I might as well be home alone," she snipped, stomping to the park, grumbling under her breathe. Running to a near alley, and making sure Marinette stayed in sight, and no one else was there to see, the transformation dropped leaving Adrien peeking out past the building while Plagg settled on his shoulder.

"Well this is quite the situation," Plagg snickered, floating out a little to stare down at the pouting girl.

Marinette was currently kicking at the dirt, her lips moving as she grumbled. Then her expression shifted and she crouched down, poking at whatever caught her attention.

"What are we going to do?" Adrien wondered with a heavy sigh. "We gotta find Ladybug." But they couldn't leave a kid alone, especially if he couldn't find Ladybug quickly. At this moment, Marinette was his responsibility.

Adrien stiffened.

And he didn't know too much about kids.

But, maybe it wouldn't be too bad? Marinette seemed aware, and herself, not entirely child-like.

But still couldn't be left alone.

"Let's just take her home," Plagg suggested.

That surprised him. "You wouldn't mind?"

"So long as she doesn't grab me. The kids I always wound up watching always had to grab me."

"...When did you wind up watching kids?"

"When Ladybugs and Chat Noirs think that kwamis make good last minute babysitters," Plagg grumbled, his face wrinkling up at the bad memories. It was debatable if the extra cheese was really worth it.

Adrien gaped, a smile slowly spreading over his face. "Ladybug and Chat do get together?!" he asked excitedly.

"Sometimes," Plagg said slowly, diving for his shirt pocket. "Now, I need to recharge before we look for Ladybug, maybe that girl can afford a nap at your place or something while we're out."

That's not too bad an idea. Mindful, she wouldn't be supervised, but the house was always watched over, and so long as she was sleeping it should be fine.

And really, at this moment, there wasn't anyone else he could think of that could watch over Marinette till Ladybug fixed this.

Straightening his shoulders and plastering a big smile on his face, he strolled up behind the toddler, watching her poke and roll some roly polies around with the most concentrated look on her face.

Biting back a giggle, he asked, "Are they fun?"

She squealed, jumping up and scattering the bugs. Looking up, she stiffened when she saw Adrien crouching beside her.

That cat didn't.

"Hey Marinette! Chat mentioned you needed a friend to watch over you?" he said, tilting his head curiously.

He did.

Overwhelmed and unbelievably flustered, Marinette did the only thing she could think of, because Adrien was seeing her as a little kid and oh god he was going to watch over her and oh my god this was happening-

She jumped up and ran away screaming, leaving a very alarmed Adrien behind.

"Wait!" he cried, racing after her, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! Marinette come back!"


	2. Chapter 2

**I should really be doing schoolwork.**

* * *

That day Adrien learned a few things about Marinette.

One, she was fast.

Two, if she didn't want to get caught, she wasn't going to get caught.

A near fifteen minutes were spent trying to get a grasp on the squealing girl. He easily caught up with his longer legs, only for her to duck and dart away from under his reach. Once she stopped for a minute, breathing hard as she finally snapped, "Just let me stay home alone!"

Then she realized that she yelled at him, allowed him to get in grabbing distance, and blushed as she babbled apologies, and fled away again.

No matter what he said, it fell to deaf ears. She was too excited to listen to him.

When he finally snagged her, Adrien was just about ready to plant his face to the grass and sleep.

And that was something with him being a hero.

It took a lot to exhaust him.

Damn Marinette.

He got lucky that she got tired out enough to slow down. Seizing his chance, he scooped her up, and sent them both toppling into a bench. His arms wrapped around the panting child to keep her there, he allowed himself to slump as he caught his breathe.

Just... damn Marinette.

Who knew she could move?

He started when he felt a weave tug at his sleeve.

"I can... stay home...alone," Marinette huffed out, red faced as she went limp on his chest.

"Not leaving a kid alone," he returned, sighing as he let his head drop back on the bench. He tightened his grip on her when he felt her move in his arms. He heard something between a growl and a squeal. He laughed, offering, "You know, I didn't know that you could move that fast."

She groaned aloud slumping against his chest as she smeared her hands over her face. Frowning down at her he asked, "Is staying with me really that bad?"

She jerked in his grasp, turning her big eyes to him. "What?"

He asked once again, "Is staying with me so bad?"

"No!"

"Then why do you keep running away from me?"

Why was she so adamant about her staying home alone? Did she know that it was ok to receive help? Did she realize how difficult her position would be to stay home alone?

Or was it really just him she had issue with?

Not even Chat got that reaction.

Then again, Marinette actually did like Chat...

Hearing Marinette huff brought him back. "No, it's not you..." she stammered. Pouting, she tugged at her hair as she looked away from him. She looked up, across the way to her parents' bakery. She pointed to it. "It needs to be watched!"

He raised a brow. "I think it could handle a few more hours on it's own... You sure I shouldn't just try and find someone else?"

"No," she sighed, crossing her arms as she turned to him. She stared at his hair. His hair was easier to stare at. "I'm fifteen. I shouldn't need to be watched."

"I know," he eased, "it's just, you could certainly use some help. And I agree with Chat that someone should be watching over you. At least, you can hang at my house till this is all over." And it'll be over soon when he brought Ladybug the akuma.

That is, if he found her.

Curiously he hasn't seen her zooming through the skies yet...

Marinette squeaked again, hiding her face away in her arms.

Worried that she was going to be resistant, he added, "I have a lot of games you can play."

That did catch her attention. She turned her imploring eyes up to him, looking like she was filing away that detail.

"And food," he continues, "we got a lot of food you can snack on, and I have a pretty big, soft bed you can sleep in, and..." What else did kids like? What else would Marientte like? "You can check out my closest. I got a lot of clothes from my dad you can look at and-"

He jumped when she slapped her hands on his knee. "I want to see your closet!" she exclaimed excitedly, wiggling in her seat. Only to stiffen when she realized what she blurted out. Whimpering she hid her face behind her hands again.

Adrien laughed. She was just too cute. Making a mental note that Marinette could be bribed with clothes, Adrien easily scooped her up, ignoring surprised squeak. Bouncing her a little as he gave her a reassuring smile, he proclaimed, "Let us go homewards!"

* * *

It was a stroke of luck that his father and Nathalie were away for a week.

He wasn't sure if they would turn Marinette away, but the thought of bringing her up to them was a little unnerving.

Thankfully he had only the Gorilla to watch over him, and when he told the situation to the large man, he readily agreed to allowing the little girl to stay. He surprised them both when he handed Marinette a lollipop. Adrien could see that Marinette was trying not to be too awed with the candy, but with how big her eyes got, she was very happy to receive it.

Uttering a shy thanks to the large man, she ripped off the wrapper a little too eagerly as she started to suck on it.

It was too cute.

How can kids be so damn cute?!

Clearing his throat, Adrien let her down as he opened the door to his bedroom, waving to the large room in it's empty glory.

And Marinette, trying hard not to be too awed since she did see it a few times before, felt an instinctive twitch echo through her being. Adrien's room was big, visually interesting, and there were so many things that were drawing her attention.

She wanted to slide down that ramp.

She wanted to see if she could scale up it.

And slide down in gleeful success.

He had some arcade games.

Along with a huge system and collection of other games.

And a rock wall.

Never before in her life has a wall looked so appealing.

She would not climb it. She was Ladybug. A sophisticated hero. She enjoyed so many heights that she didn't need to scale that rock wall even though it was right there and it was begging to be scaled and she-

"Ok!" Adrien chirped, easing her into the room. "Everything is pretty much open to be used, I got games, some movies, you can use my bed for a nap, don't be shy about it if you need to sleep; I can get you food, and uh-" What else Agreste? What else... "And the closest! If you want to see the closest I can show it to you!"

Her eyes blown wide as she turned to him, nodding slowly that yes she would love to see his closest.

Grinning, he bowed. "Right this way Princess!" And then stiffened at his slip up.

Thankfully Marinette didn't notice. She squealed and did her excited wiggle. Slumping in relief, Adrien lead her across the room to his closest. Feeling Plagg tap at his chest, he opened it, ushering her in as he hurried out, "I need to use the bathroom, you ah, enjoy yourself! Shout if you need anything!"

She absently nodded as she slowly walked in, taking in all the clothes his father designed. Excitedly she babbled, "I remember that line! Gasp!That's the summer line from last year! Oh my God that jacket! I remember that jacket! Eeee! Look at that embroidery on the jeans!"

Adrien quickly left her to her fun, closing the bathroom door behind him. Letting Plagg out, he agreed when the kwami bid, "Let's contact Ladybug and see if we can get this over with."

"Oooooooh," Marientte cooed in awe, flipping over one of Adrien's coats, taking in the details that Gabriel did. This was certainly something she could experiment with. Though maybe some different material instead, and she'd like it to have a little more decor on it and-

"Marinette!"

The little girl jumped, looking down as Tikki peeked out. "Chat Noir is calling!"

"Oh!" That's right! Akuma! She had an akuma to cleanse!

Just as she was about to call Tikki for a transformation, Adrien called out, "Marinette? You ok?"

Squeaking, she quickly replied, "I'm fine!" and shoved Tikki back in the purse. To the pouting kwami, Marientte reassured, "Later, when we're alone!" Or at least, not in ear shot of anyone. Adrien could hear her talking with Chat, or worse see the transformation, or just see a little Ladybug in his closest instead of Marinette.

He would flip out.

No.

She couldn't risk Adrien seeing a little Ladybug in his closest where Marinette needed to be... If anyone was going to see little Ladybug, it was probably going to be Chat.

Marinette made a face.

Knowing that damn cat, he was going to withhold the akuma and take pictures. She knows he will.

Marinette groaned, tugging at her tiny pigtails in mild frustration. There was no way around it. But first, she had to get away from Adrien. Or maybe wait till he left the room, maybe she could slip out-

"Hey!" Adrien chirped behind her, making her jump. She tilted her head back looking up while he smiled down. "Want to play some games? Or a movie? Or are you tired? Or-"

His cell went off. Jumping, he slid it out of his pocket to see Nino calling him. "One moment," he bid, walking out and heading towards his windows, staring out as he answered, "Hey man!"

Marientte couldn't believe her luck.

This was a perfect chance to sneak out, make use of this huge house and disappear, she can contact Chat, fix this, hurry back as Marientte, thank Adrien, maybe set up a movie date, and hello rock wall.

Sad to say, she only got a few feet from into his room.

"Dude I need help," Nino insisted from his side, his voice much higher than it should be. And Adrien probably shouldn't be smiling at the sound, but he couldn't help it. This really did have to be one of the funniest akuma attacks. Poor Nino. "If Wadybug doesn't fix this, can you babysit me tomorrow bro? Mama, er, mom, said she'd take me to work. I don't wanna go to work with her."

"Why?" Adrien asked, trying hard not to laugh.

"Cheeks man! Get with the program!"

Now Adrien was confused. "Cheeks?"

"You know man! Cheeks! Every time a parent takes you to work, they, well, cheeks!"

Something about cheeks... Adrien didn't know. When he was brought to work, he only posed and had pictures taken of him when he was little. "I really don't understand what you're talking about Nino," he confessed, his smile going sheepish at the groan on the other side.

"Ok bro, wet me way it out for you. For some reason, when parents bring kids to work, people can't help but pinch their cheeks numb. I don't wanna get pinched bro!"

Oh. Oooooooh. That was a thing. Adrien thought that was just a movie trope. He's never had anyone pinch his cheeks before as a kid. Maybe that was a good thing?

Clearing his throat, Adrien said, "Well, I'm currently watching Marinette. But if you need someone to watch you, I guess she wouldn't mind the company." And it should be fine, he reasoned. Both Marinette and Nino were pretty cool and chill. There shouldn't be any trouble watching them both.

Well, there was still getting a hold of Wady-Ladybug. Damnit. He was starting to call her that too!

Having Nino over could either make him getting to her easier, or harder.

They could distract each other. Play games while he slipped out, and he's sure Ladybug would be reasonable enough to meet him close to his house so he could be close and-

"You're watching Mari?" Nino asked, surprised and... excited?

"Yeah?" Adrien confirmed.

"Oh! Ok man! Never mind me! You continue to watch Mari!"

"Wha? You sure?"

"Yeah man! I'll take the cheek abuse! But I better get resuwts!"

Results? What results?

"O...k?" Adrien bid warily, turning to check on Marientte. "But, you know, we really wouldn't mind you staying. I'm sure Marinette would lovaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Adrien nearly dropped his phone.

Marinette was scaling the rock wall.

Marinette was scaling the rock wall!

AND SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY SAFETY GEAR ON!

AND THAT WAS A HARD FLOOR BELOW HER!

"Bro?" Nino called, worried.

"I'llcallyouback!" Adrien rushed, practically throwing his cell away as he rushed over, crying, "Marinette!"

Surprised, she slipped and Adrien's heart stopped because she was falling!

And restarted as he caught her.

So overcome with relief, he fell to his rear, breathing heart as he pressing her tightly into his chest. Giving a moaning sigh, he fell back, ignoring her squeal as he laid back, Marinette laid over chest. For the moment he laid there, trying to calm his raging heart as he just took in that she was laying on top of him, the small child was safe. She was ok. Everything was ok.

"Adrien?" Marinette managed out warily.

"Don't do that," he gasped, "again."

"What?" she asked, confused.

Looking down at her, meeting this big teal eyes, he stressed, "Don't go climbing that wall ever again." She nearly gave him a heart attack!

Instead of a docile agreement, she raised a dark brow at him. "What?" she demanded.

He sat up, grimacing. "Don't climb that wall again," he stressed.

Marinette took it as a challenge.

Crossing her arms with a serious pout on her lips, she grumbled, "I was fine."

"You could have died!"

"Bruised," she corrected, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Adrien sighed, making Marinette jump as he slumped forward, resting his head lightly on top of her own. Softly, he confessed, "You really scared me back there." His heart was still pounding heavy in his chest at the mere memory. Never has he seen something so frightening. He could relate to his dad now, recalling all the times he freaked out when Adrien climbed library shelves, or trees, or furniture...

He sat up, giving her a shaky smile, he said, "If you really want to climb the rock wall, let me know. I'll get you some safety gear and you can scale it all you want."

Gazing up at him, she surprised him by patting his wrist reassuringly. "I climbed enough today," she stated, giving him a small smile. "How about a movie?"

He was so relieved he could kiss her.

He settled with messing up her hair, grinning as it fell free of her ribbons finally. Scooping her up and cuddling her to his chest, he asked, "What movie you want to watch?"

Blushing hard, Marinette tried to hide it with her hair as she asked, "Uh, Princess Bride? You have it?"

No but he could easily get it!

"Sure Little Princess!" he promised, laughing as she tried to bury her face in her shirt.

The Gorilla easily getting them the movie, and both settled snugly on the couch, the day finally caught up to them. As their eyes grew heavy, they both knew that this would be the perfect chance to slip away, find their partner, and fix this.

But they were so tired from today's events.

A small nap wouldn't hurt...

Plagg sighed as he floated above them, not scared of being seen at all with two conked out kids below him. "Idiots," he grumbled quietly, shooting a look to Tikki as she shushed him from the floor. She flew up, giggling at the two.

Adrien was half lounging on the couch, Marinette pulled up to lay on top of him, with one arm laid over her. And her tiny chosen was curled up so cutely on top of him.

Utterly adorable.

"Let's grab his phone and take a picture!" she suggested, turning her huge blue eyes to him.

Plagg raised a big brow at her. "He's going to think I took it!"

"And he's not going to be wrong! You're going to help me because I want a picture of this saved!"

Plagg groaned loudly, allowing his red counterpart to drag him towards the tossed away cell. It was just going to get worse after they discover each other. He hoped there was at least some good cheese bread in his future when they finally got together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to this I had to go and watch Princess Bride.**

 **It was great.**

 **Happy Eater everyone! Thank you all for reading!**

* * *

Adrien woke first.

Blinking sleepily as a priest prattled on screen, all the blonde caught was "Mawwige is..." and "twue wuv". Yawning, Adrien stretched on the couch, humming happily as he slumped. He started when he felt a weight shift on his stomach, warm breathe flowing through the thin fabric of his shirt. Looking down sharply, he smiled when he saw Marinette out for the count. She was curled up, her little hands fisted into paws, and clutching his shirt. Her eyes twitched with her sleep, and she nuzzled him as she dreamt.

Adrien was happy to know that he was comfy.

Sighing, he relaxed back, absently running his fingers through her loose soft hair as he watched a bit of this movie Marinette wanted to see. Princess Bride. It was such a strange movie.

He'll have to watch it completely sometime.

Maybe when she was back to her real age, and the two were better friends, and could laugh at the silliness.

...And right now would be a good chance to slip away and find his lady.

And fix this.

So they could watch this movie together!

But first, how does one remove sleeping child? Especially without waking her?

And where to put her?

Leave her on the couch?

Put her on his bed?

Bed. Can't leave a lady to sleep on the couch, no matter what age she be. Bed was always preferred.

A little nervous, Adrien braced himself for the worst as he very, very, very slowly sat up. Keeping his hands set on her so she didn't move to much, Adrien nearly sighed in relief. He successfully sat up with Marinette still snuggled up against him. And she didn't wake! Yes! He totally got this!

Now he just need to get to the bed!

Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he carefully turned off the tv before adjusting his grip on Marinette.

He slowly stood up, freezing when Marientte shifted in his hold.

She didn't wake up.

He slumped in relief.

Now to get to that bed.

It'll be easy Agreste.

Just walk to it, don't jostle her awake, yes, nice and easy, almost there...

Adrien stopped at the edge, frowning. Now for the next hard part: setting her down.

Adjusting his hold so he held her with one hand, he bent over, pulling the sheets down and slowly lowered Marinette into the mattress. Adrien stiffened when she didn't let go of his shirt, clutching tightly to the black fabric. Shit. She was kinda hanging there. Ok, stay calm. Just ease the grip away. Leaning over so that Marinette was completely on the bed, Adrien gently took her little wrists. With a few tugs, he freed his shirt. He quickly withdrew as the toddler squirmed and happily grabbed at his pillow, bringing it closer to snuggle with.

He sighed.

She didn't wake.

She didn't wake!

He did it!

He successfully put a kid to bed!

Adrien was very proud.

Taking his sheets, he pulled them up over, before stepping back. Marinette wiggled from where she lay, grabbing at the sheets and pulling them around her till she was completely cocooned and hidden from sight.

Aw, she was a sheet stealer.

He could relate. He liked being bundled up, having covers over his head. It was dark, and warm, and safe, and comfy. Just the remembrance of it had his inner cat pushing at him to join her. Wrap her up in his arms where she'd be safest, and warmest, and enjoy the cocoon she made. It would be so dark. And warm. And comfy. And he should go before he caved into temptation.

Because this was a really good chance to find his lady.

Marinette was asleep. She wouldn't notice him gone for a short while. And may even wake up back to her original age.

And he would have to ask her to make blanket cocoons for him cause her cocoon still looks mighty fine.

And he should really go.

Now.

As quiet as a cat, Adrien crept away from the bed, not daring himself to look back at that fine mess of blankets. He would not join Marinette in bed. He had a mission. He was going to finish it and fix this. First he had to get away from temptation.

"Plagg!" he whispered called, looking for the black kwami, "This is our chance, let's go!" The kwami made no reply or appearance. "Plagg!" Adrien hissed again.

Don't tell him Plagg snuck into that cocoon!

"Ugh." Looking over, the blonde finally saw him, curiously lounging on Marinette's purse.

"What are you doing?" Adrien wondered.

"I'm comfy," kwami grumbled. Shooting Adrien a lazy glare, he laments, "Do we really have to go? I'm really happy where I am right now, and you'd look happier on the bed, and maybe the solution is closer than you think-"

Rolling his eyes, Adrien ordered, "Claws out!" Cutting off the kwami as he was sucked into the ring. Sparing a quick glance to the cocoon of sheets on his bed, Chat cringed. Oh no. It was even more appealing than before! He really had to go!

Grabbing his bag that held the butterfly, he hurried out the window, closing it behind him just in case; and took off to the Parisian roofs, seeking out his lady. He was starting to get a little worried now, she has yet to try and contact him, and he's certainly hasn't seen any word of her on the news or Ladyblog.

He hoped she was ok.

* * *

Marinette groaned loudly when she felt light pokes on her cheek.

She wiggled away, settling comfortably before those pokes resumed, a soft giggling chiming in her ears. "Marinette," Tikki bid softly in her ear. Marinette tried to swat her away, and rebelliously grabbed the pillow, tugging it closer and over her head. Yes. This would keep the kwami away.

The little god simply giggled, patting her chosen's cheek once more. "Come on," she bid, "we have an opportunity here."

"Whaaaaa," Marinette whined.

"Adrien's gone!" Tikki chimed.

Marinette frowned.

Why would Adrien be gone?

Why would he even be in her room in the first place?

She... she was not in her room.

Marinette jumped up, blinking wide eyed at the room around her and covers rested over her.

That's right. Adrien took her home.

They were watching Princess Bride.

And she fell asleep on him!

"Oh my god," she uttered, hands slapping her cheeks.

And he must have put her in his bed.

She was in Adrien Agreste's bed!

"Oh my god!" she repeated.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Tikki bid, rushing in front of her and waving her little arms about, drawing her attention to her. "It's ok, this is an opportunity Marinette!"

It was?

That's right, it was.

Adrien wasn't here right now.

"Where did he go?" Marinette asked.

Tikki shrugged. "I don't know," the kwami confessed. "But I do know that this is a good chance to be Ladybug!" It was. With Adrien gone and no longer hovering, this was a perfect time to go hero. But just in case...

With great reluctance, Marinette crawled out of the bed and sped towards the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Looking back she gaped at the huge shower he had.

Of course he had one of those fancy showers.

No focus! She had to focus!

"Tikki spots on!" she cried, sucking the little red got into the earrings. Little Ladybug stood proudly in Adrien's bathroom. Making sure her back was to the white door, she called Chat, grinning when he answered quickly.

"My Lady! It's so nice to finally hear from you-is your hair down?!"

Chat seemed to press his face close to the tiny, show Ladybug one big green eye. Subconsciously, she felt her hair, wincing. Yes, it was. When did it get undone? Clearing her throat, she said, "Yeah, it, uh, sorry Chat! Stuff came up!"

Chat blinked at her from the screen, tilting his head curious as he peered back at her. She watched as his eyes grew wide, a slow, sly, amused smile gracing his lips.

"Chat," she warned.

"Did my Lady get hit by Terrible Two today?" he purred, snickering.

Saving you yes. She simply sighed and nodded. "I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And couldn't get away from my friend, who was insistent to watch over me. It was sweet, but, ugh." Made her job harder.

"Aw, that's very sweet of her."

"Him."

"Him?! A boy is watching My Lady?!"

Rolling her eyes at his hissy fit, she eased, "He's a friend Chaton. A very good friend." And she should bring him some cookies or something because she did give him a bit of heart attack with that rock wall incident. "Anyway, we should meet up so we can fix this! And he won't have to watch me anymore!"

Nodding eagerly, Chat agreed. "How about by the Eiffel Tower?"

That was perfect!

"I'ww see you in a few minutes Chaton!"

"That was absolutely adorable My Lady," Chat cooed, his tail jerking about behind him.

Ladybug ended the call with a roll of her eyes. Better to just let him get it out of his system. Going to the window, Ladybug grimaced when she saw how high it was. And no frame for her to jump and balance on... How was she going to get to it?

Ok. She wasn't getting out through bathroom window.

She had to go back out...

Hopefully Adrien would still be gone.

Nervously, she peeked out into the room, relieved to see that it was still empty. Good. This was good. She hurried to his bedroom windows, frowning when she came across a similar problem.

There were no frames for her to balance on. And she discovered that the bottom windows wouldn't open at all.

Well shit.

Ladybug started to panic as she gazed up at the barred windows. How was she going to get out and get to Chat?

She looked down at her yo yo as it started to vibrate, alerting her of an incoming call from Chat. There was only one solution she could think of.

Well, it was a good thing Chat knew that she was familiar with Adrien, they could pass off as friends! And he would never know that it was Marinette that Adrien took care of-

Wait.

Chat sent Adrien to Marinette.

She was about to call him, tell him that she was stuck in Adrien's house.

Damnit.

DAMNIT.

With a frustrated sound caught between a cry and groan, Ladybug stamped her foot, utterly stressed.

She could not believe this.

But it had to be done.

With great wariness, she answered her yo yo, ready for the storm.

* * *

When he didn't see Ladybug heading his way, Chat was a little concerned again. She was always good at being punctual and being where she needed to be. But after five minutes there was still no sight of her.

He shouldn't be worried, even if she was hit by Terrible Two's power, the akuma was contained and there was no immediate danger.

But she was still a toddler.

And was probably swinging from her yo yo at very high heights...

Chat winced, gripping his bag a little tightly.

That's why she was a little late. She was a little toddler swinging from roof to roof-ok stop thinking about that, that was just freaking him out.

She was held up because her friend caught her sneaking away. And was being a good friend and watching over her and maybe discovered she was Ladybug-

THAT WASN'T HELPING EITHER.

Casting a twitchy glance at his house, he hoped Marinette was still sleeping. He thought about checking in while he waited, but he didn't want to miss his lady. He also thought about asking where she was and rushing to her and save them both the trouble of the trip but what if something happened? What if Ladybug was far away and there was a fire close to his house and-

Ok. He, he should just call Ladybug and see what's up. Maybe she was closer now.

Sliding out his baton, he pressed the call button, smiling to hide his unease as Ladybug answered. "You close My Lady?" he asked, sparing a quick glance at his house. He hoped Marinette hasn't awakened yet. He knows there's nothing scarier than waking up and finding someone gone.

Ladybug cutely pouted, and winced.

Chat wanted to reach through the screen and pluck her up, pepper her in little kisses till her pout went away.

"I am close," she reassured carefully, looking away from him, her free hair swaying on her red covered shoulders. Chat narrowed his eyes at the screen, looking past her at the different room she was in. It looked familiar...

"But I'm kinda, am stuck here. I can't get past the windows, and I'm too short for the door and... I'm going to need you to come here Chat."

He flashed her a bright smile. "Don't worry My Lady! I'll be right over! Where are you? Whose home are you in?"

"I'm at the one you left me with," she uttered awkward, nervously tugging at her hair.

...The one he left her with? What? Chat didn't leave Ladybug with anyone, he hadn't even encountered her-

There was only one he encountered and "passed" off a kid to someone.

To Adrien.

He "passed" a kid off to Adrien.

And that kid... that kid was...

Marinette.

His eyes grew wide as he stared into the small screen, taking in the wincing tiny heroine and comparing her to the child he watched over this afternoon.

The same teal eyes.

The same freckles dusted over her nose.

The same dark hair that fell loosely over her shoulders-

He was an idiot.

He was an absolute idiot.

"Marinette?" he gaped.

She gave him a weak, sheepish smile. "Hey Chat."

Well, this was definitely not what he had in mind when they learned their identities.

And she's been under his nose this whole time.

He was such an idiot!

"I'll be right over!" Snapping his baton closed, he raced back home, heart pounding as the facts rolled over in his head.

Marinette is Ladybug.

Marinette is Ladybug.

And he's a freaking idiot.

* * *

Ladybug felt like screaming.

It was done.

Cat was out of the bag, and he was rushing here for confirmation.

Chat knew.

Chat knew.

And they were going to fix this, then she was going to go hide, maybe go move to China and live with her Great Uncle.

Chat knew.

Squealing to herself as she shuffled on her feet, feeling dread fill her entire being; Marinette felt like fleeing. Hide away so she wouldn't get caught. So she wouldn't face this outcome.

Chat knew.

Her eyes flew around the room, her heart pounding as the reality started to press on her.

He was going to be disappointed.

He wouldn't want to be her partner anymore.

He would have her fix this, then tell Adrien, and then he would kick her out, and then he would tell everyone else and everyone else would be so disappointed and what it spread world wide and she couldn't go to China and she would have to live as a hermit, making rags on some lonely mountain and oh god she needed to hide.

The worst was coming!

Her eyes flew to the bed, and she almost jumped to it to pull the covers over her, or slide under it so he wouldn't find her and she wouldn't face that disappointment.

But no, that was too obvious.

Everyone knew about beds!

No, she needed a different hiding spot.

Maybe the bathroom?

Or maybe the closest?

Or...

Her eyes caught the rock wall.

It was high. A very high place. She would not be easily reached.

All rational thought gone as her inner ladybug and child chimed for her to hide, Ladybug raced up the rock wall, and slid as far back at the top of it as she could. Just as Chat leapt into the room, looking around frantically.

She made a nervous squeak at the sight of him, and he easily heard it.

Green eyes met teal.

Ladybug skittishly hid in her arms. The rational part of her chided her, that she had a job to do. She shouldn't hide away. Not till it was taken care of.

But Ladybug didn't care.

Chat knew, and this was a big change, and it was scary, and it was too much.

She wanted to hide away. Curl up, sit stiffly, and maybe she wouldn't be noticed.

"My Lady?" Chat's soft voice reached out, making her jump slightly. She peeked past her arm, to see him staring at her in wonder. She quickly hid away again.

"Marinette?" he tried this time.

She she let out a whine.

A warm claw came to lightly rest on her shoulders, gently pulling her closer. "It's ok," he eased, sounding a little unsure himself. Ladybug wanted to argue against it, say it wasn't, that nothing about this was ok. But she did nothing, letting him drag her closer till she was wrapped up in his arms, nestled to his chest. Jumping to the ground below, he had one hand secured below her, the other rubbed her back up and down soothingly.

"You're Ladybug," he uttered in wonder.

She nodded weakly against him, nervously flicking his bell.

"I'm glad it's you," he said honestly.

Ladybug paused. She peeked up at him, frowning.

Chat flashed her a huge smile and wrapped her in a tight hug, a loud purr rumbling out of him. His tail flew about, unable to contain itself. "My Little Lady," he purred, "My Little Princess! All in one!"

"Chaton!" she whined, red faced.

He just purred happily, nuzzling her head fondly. His inner cat bid that he should lavish her little head in kisses, but that could wait till later. When she wasn't so overwhelmed. But he let his giddiness spill out in his nuzzles.

She's been close.

She's always been close!

She tapped his shoulder a few times, huffing, "Chaton, the akuma."

Right.

Demon butterfly.

"Right," he echoed, sighing as he drew her a way and set her down. She was just so tiny and so cute. He wanted to scoop her up again, jump into bed, and just curl around her. She was just so tiny. Tiny cuties should be cuddles. And the akuma could always wait a little longer.

But as she stared up at him pointedly, Chat knew he couldn't drag it out too much.

"Ready My Little Lady?"

"Rewease the akuma Chat!" Ladybug ordered, making a face when the lisp slipped out.

Chat couldn't stop the very vocal, "Aw" that slipped out.

"Chat!" Ladybug snapped.

"Ok, ok! I'm reweasing the akuma."

"Ugh!"

Chat freed the evil butterfly and Ladybug snagged it, releasing it with a friendly farewell. Then throwing her yo yo into the air, she cutely cried, "Miracuwous Wadybug!"

Swarms of ladybugs flew out, they wrapped around Ladybug, leaving her at her right age and height, before sweeping through the city, fixing everyone to their right ages and shape.

Ladybug had just a moment to enjoy being back to her old self before Chat encased her in a happy hug, purring, "Marinette!"

Ladybug cringed in his arms, flushing. "Ch-Chat," she uttered. He purred in response. "You, you really don't mind?"

Releasing his transformation, he drew away slightly, letting Adrien smile down at the shocked Ladybug. "Are you kidding?" he exclaimed, "I'm so happy it's you!"

Ladybug gaped up at him, her mind short circuiting.

Chat was Adrien.

Adrien was Chat.

He's been Chat the whole time.

Oh my god it's been Adrien the whole time.

She made some sort of squeal, her face going red once again. She hid her face in his chest, but shyly returned his hug, listening as he laughed happily above her, nuzzling her head. She felt his smile grew as she awkwardly confessed, "I'm, I'm glad it's you too..."

He hummed happily, hugging her a little tighter.

Tikki willed her transformation to drop, darting away to hover close to Plagg, beaming and squealing as she watched the blushing teens hold each other. "They're just so cute!" the little kwami gushed.

Plagg hummed absently, sitting on Marinette's purse as he nibbled on cheese.

At least he was going to end up getting some cheese bread out of this, but would it be worth it with all the gushy stuff he'll have to put up with? Ugh, he'll never get used it.

Which reminded him.

"Hey!" he called sharply, catching the two teens attention. "For future information, I'm not going to babysit your kittens if you're short a sitter." The huge thing of camembert did not make it worth when he was grabbed and chased around. And dressed up. Just the memories of all he had to put up could make him hiss.

The two teens, in turn exploded when new shades of red.

"PLAGG!"

* * *

 **WE GOT FANART**

 **by zoe-oneesama on tumblr!**

 **post/145186035849/brought-on-by-little-kitten-and-little-princess-by**


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